In brief: A tender, heartfelt episode in the Sydney Housewives series. (Read more about the story here).

The good: Poor Darla’s been a big of a running joke for the dinner club – now she gets her turn in the spotlight.

The not-so-good: The end of the series!

Why I chose it: Really enjoyed this series. Thanks to Escape Publishing for the eARC.

Year: 2015

Pages: 36 (eARC)

Publisher: Escape Publishing

Setting: Sydney, Australia

My rating: 8.5 out of 10

I’ve been stringing out this series of late, because I didn’t want it to end. I’ve loved dipping into the world of these rich Sydney housewives/partners and finding out their secrets, which range from the very naughty to the rather sweet. Darla, our last housewife (I feel rather strange calling her that, given that she’s an independent divorcee) has been something of a joke over the previous books. The majority of the other members of the Diamond Dinner Club look down on her (even though they’ve got a few skeletons tied up in their own closets) but we’ve never really found out why. I liked how this short story tied up a lot of loose ends for the group and made Darla a living, breathing character.

Darla split from her husband in less than ideal circumstances (his mistress was pregnant) and the hurt is still there. But when a storm causes property damage, her sexy neighbour comes over to make a move, oops sorry – apologise for the damage. It all spirals into a case of severe romance, from the missed opportunities to sweet love. My favourite parts of this story was the quick catch up we get about the other housewives – it looks like Meagan’s gone to the gym and Emma is slowly healing. But what was the best scene and show of true friendship was when Virginia came in and saved the day.

This was a lovely story, with some cracking one-liners and the happy ever after that Darla deserves. A gorgeous way to end the series.